ASUS has introduced its unique ROG Mothership GZ700GX convertible desktop replacement laptop that combines performance, mobility, and versatility of a desktop computer. Equipped with a G-Sync-enabled 17.3-inch display featuring a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz, the notebook is powered by Intel’s six-core Core i9 processor as well as NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX graphics.

Traditionally, 2-in-1 and convertible laptops are meant to provide benefits offered by notebooks and tablets, so they are supposed to be light and portable. With its ROG Mothership GZ700GX, ASUS rethought the concept by combining a standard large gaming laptop with a 2-in-1 in a bid to improve cooling of internal components (i.e., boost performance) and provide some additional comfort. Three years ago, engineers from ASUS concluded that high-performance laptops starved for airflow because the air intake on their bottoms could not draw enough air to cool down hot components. As a result, they decided to put key components behind the display instead and found that temperatures were indeed lower this way. Designers from ASUS also found that gamers prefer to put their keyboards in various positions on their desk, which is not possible if a laptop keyboard is used. Therefore they determined that they needed to go with a detachable wireless keyboard with a numpad too.

Essentially, the ROG Mothership is a relatively small CNC-machined all-aluminum all-in-one desktop PC featuring a 17.3-inch Full-HD display with a kickstand that can be easily transported and which offers performance and features of higher-end desktop gaming machines.

The ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX convertible is based on Intel’s six-core overclockable Core i9-8950HK processor accompanied by NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2080 graphics chip with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The CPU works at up to 4.3 GHz with all six cores activated, but actual clocks of the GPU are unclear. To cool down both chips as well as their VRMs, ASUS uses a special cooling system comprised of four large heatsinks featuring 375 0.1-mm thick copper fins in total as well as two powerful 12 V blowers.

The system can be equipped with up to 64 GB of DDR4 memory as well as four PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs, two of which are attached directly to the CPU to provide an extreme bandwidth (this also means that the GPU has four PCIe lanes in its possession).

Connectivity wise, the ROG Mothership GZ700GX offers a fairly standard set of technologies that includes an 802.11ac/802.11ax Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 5.0 controller, a GbE, a Thunderbolt 3 port, a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C/VirtualLink connector, three USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A headers, an HDMI 2.0 output, an SD card slot, as well as 3.5-mm audio jacks for a headset and a microphone. In addition, the PC has a Windows Hello-compatible webcam, four speakers, a microphone array, and a bunch of programmable RGB LEDs to make the thing look trendy.

Being very powerful, the ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX is also pretty large. It is 41 cm wide and nearly 3 cm thick, so it is not going to be easy to carry around, especially keeping in mind that its weight totals 4.7 kilograms. Battery capacity of the unit is unclear, but the convertible machine comes with two 280 W power supplies.

Right? I want options. Why do they do this? At such a price it should have a 4k 144hz screen. 1080p is easy to drive and doesn't need an RTX 2080. Why not market it as a mobile esports machine? It would be fine with even a GTX 1060, or whatever the mid generation cards will be. No need to make it a super high end product. Reply

yeah im not sure whats up with that screen. for a flagship it better be some super amazing ips type panel. 3ms is slow if its a tn. and 1080p is nothing special considering everyone with that gpu is going to be running 4k dsr might as well just put a 4k on it.Reply

Yeah I too would only consider if it had a 4K screen. I'm not sure about accessibility for memory/HD/Wifi upgrades too given what they pack behind that screen. But it's a concept on cooling I think the Surface latched onto that designers have missed that vertical cooling "can" be quite efficient and often far less blocked up than horizontal cooling. It's very interesting.Reply

asus always has a super high end insane price laptop. the price isnt about the specs though. im sure you will be able to get the same componenets for cheaper. and a liquid metal repaste will get you the same or better performance. latop bga cpu and gpus have no heat spreader.Reply

"The system can be equipped with up to 64 GB of DDR4 memory as well as four PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs, two of which are attached directly to the CPU to provide an extreme bandwidth (this also means that the GPU has four PCIe lanes in its possession)."

2x4=8. If the GPU has only 4 PCI-E lanes (god I hope not), where did the other 4 go?Reply

most likely the gpu has 8 and the two ssd slots have 4 each. looking at intels spec page for that cpu; the lane configs list 2x4 + 1x8 but not 4x4. the rest of the devices will get their lanes through the pchReply

I've actually wondered for a while why someone doesn't marry a battery pack to an all-in-one like this and get a best of both worlds scenario going. Pretty much ever since the first computer built into an LCD monitor came out.Reply